Miscalculation
by Black Die
Summary: Break sleeps with someone. The problem? The boy he was with just happens to be an agent of Pandora… and his new partner. And if that weren't enough, the boy's also Contracted to the Cheshire Cat. Break's really miscalculated this time… BreakxOMC
1. Chapter 1: Transgression

Miscalculation- (noun) the act of calculating or judging incorrectly; something that is unforeseen when previous machinations have been put into play after careful consideration.

Transgression- (noun) a violation of a law, command, etc. or a sin; something that has been forbidden but done anyway.

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><p>Chapter One: Transgression<p>

Xerxes Break pouted, licking absently at the strawberry lollipop in his mouth. He hadn't particularly wanted to come into town today, but Sharon had insisted, saying something like "It was good for him to get some exercise every once in a while" or "He should go get some sun on his skin" or some other stupid idea like that. He was just fine staying in the mansion and taking care of Sharon, and besides, he got plenty of exercise or whatever the hell the woman had wanted for him when he was out manipulating his pawns into place, thank you very much!

Okay, he'd just admit it: He was more than likely just a tad more irritable than usual because he was sexually deprived. Sure, he'd been like that ever since he came out of the Abyss all those years ago, but it hadn't occurred to him to miss sex until recently and only then because Gilbert and Oz had given in to their mutual lust and were now sleeping with each other. Slightly put out with himself for dwelling on that topic _again_, he snapped his lollipop cleanly off the stick and began sucking on it as he walked, careful to avoid bumping into people and perhaps causing him to accidentally choke on his treat. He would have just turned around and gone back to the Reinsworth mansion since Sharon hadn't given him any task in particular to do except for the fact that she had instructed the carriage not to pick him up for a few hours more and threatened that if she got an inkling that he had returned before the specified time, she would deprive him of his treats for a month and _then _kill him with her fan. Since he'd rather not have to go out of his way over the next month simply for some sweets, he had decided to put up with the momentary inconvenience of being abandoned in the city.

"Chess! Chess-kun, where did you go? Chess!" The call of such a strange name caught Break's attention, so he raised his gaze around to scour the street for the source. This was revealed to be a young boy with long coppery hair tied back into a ponytail that fell over his back in long waves, panic on the face that looked no older than Oz. The boy was darting about like a bird, pausing every now and again to frantically look about his surroundings before moving on. He had a collarless black shirt on, one that carefully traced every curve of his torso but cutting off strangely around his bicep, circling around it in a manner that brought it to a point on his elbow, and then there was the white corselet dress with the black laces around him, finished off with a pair of riding boots, both black with white laces, and spotless white gloves.

He was quite a pretty little thing, Break mused to himself, but with so much contrast about him, he was obviously caught up in his own little world of petty concerns. Suddenly, in a split second, he realized that the other was about to step out into the middle of the bustling roadway where a coach was clattering down the way, the horses being whipped mercilessly and obviously in no way prepared to stop for the haphazard moron who was stupid enough to get in their way. The silver-haired man sighed, reaching out a single hand to grasp a single black-clad shoulder and yank on it hard, bringing a lithe warmth to his own chest. "You should keep a better eye on yourself," he grumbled half-heartedly over the loud clatter of iron on stone. "I won't always be here to save you, after all."

Wide eyes, one of royal blue and the other of sea green, met him. "Th- Thank you," he stuttered in a moment Break couldn't call anything but cute. "I wasn't paying attention."

He hummed. "I figured as much, but what could prey on your mind so heavily so as to make you so _distracted_, ne~?" The lilting tone to his voice made them seem more suggestive than they were supposed to be, but he was honestly curious.

"My cat," the redhead answered quickly, obviously identifying the initial stutter as a result of his surprise from the close brush to death he'd had rather than a habit, something Break found reassuring. A stutter was endearing every once in a while, but he hated it when someone stuttered too often, it was a major turn-off for him. "My pet cat ran off earlier, and I was out looking for him. You see, he's quite powerful, but he's prone to overestimating or underestimating himself, so I have to try to keep himself out of trouble."

"I'm sure you'll find him," Break assured, idly wondering how this beauty had ended up with two different-colored eyes and ones that were such a more pleasing combination than that of Vincent Nightray. Ugh, the gold was pretty enough, but the red paired with it… sickening. "After all, for all their swagger, cats really are the most cowardly of creatures."

To his surprise, the redhead merely laughed. "By your standards, but then again, I think you really are the kind of person to think no one brave." The mismatched eyes grew sly then, and in one sudden movement, Break no longer had someone in his arms anymore. "I, however, beg to disagree, so if that is all, I must thank you again for saving my life and continue my search for Chess."

If someone had asked him why he did it, he doubted he would have been able to give them an answer. His hand darted out, grabbing the other's shoulder and yanking him back to him again, the line of a spine pressing down the center of his chest and pattering down to just above his crotch. "Not so fast," he instructed, then sunk back into his playful demeanor again. "I'm not quite done with you yet, little one~."

"Oh really?" the redhead asked, turning his head slightly to show his single blue eye and cause the silveret's breath to huff enticingly over his ear. "Then what is it you plan to do to me?"

"Not much," Break replied, leaning forward slightly to nibble the other's ear. "And you'd enjoy every second of it."

"How would I know I can believe you?" The ear was pulled out of his touch, instead replaced with the other one, which Break was more than happy to continue the ministrations upon as light emerald orbs scoured him. "After all, people lie all the time to take advantage of naïve fools."

"True," Break admitted, playing soft cartilage with his teeth the same way he would a lollipop, albeit with harmless intentions in mind this time since it would not do for him to break his new toy before he'd even gotten a chance to play with it. "The difference between me and those others you speak of… is that I will admit that I'm just using you… and am perfectly fine with you just using me too."

The redhead seemed to consider the matter for a long moment, tilting his head slightly to give the silveret better access to his ear. "Hmm… As tempting as that offer is, I'm going to have to pass it up. I don't indulge in things without a sampling of what I'm settling with before I decide."

_So he wants a taste does he?_ the silveret thought, smirking as he used the momentum of the other's second escape attempt to yank him around in a spin and smash their lips together. Break wasted no time in making the kiss chaste, nipping harshly on a bottom lip to provoke a gasp that opened up a hot mouth for his tongue to dart inside, plundering the cavern for all it had to offer. He wasn't surprised at the few moans he managed to swallow into his own mouth, but what _did _surprise him was the fact the tongue twisting around his own skillfully, eliciting a moan from himself as well before he pulled away. After all, he had only promised a sample and nothing more.

Cheeks were endearingly flushed beneath mismatched eyes as a lithe chest heaved for breath. Both were strokes to the elder man's ego, but the moment he liked best was when warm fingers closed around his wrist and began towing him through the city streets. He snickered, unwrapping a lollipop expertly with his free hand. "Eager for more then, ne~?" The visible skin beneath the waterfall of copper darkened, which made him chuckle again before he stuck his lollipop into his mouth.

To his surprise, he was suddenly whirled around to be pinned against a door, feeling lips caressing his own mercilessly before the wood yielded beneath his weight, sending the both of them toppling to the carpet flooring. For a brief moment, the silver-haired male contemplated scolding the younger boy but decided against it since he wasn't seriously injured and the eager, albeit subconscious, thrusting against his upturned leg was sexy. A flick of his wrist got rid of the hair tie, leaving him free to run his fingers through the smooth copper locks.

After a little while of making out, he grew tired of forcing his back to lie straight against the floor, so he trailed his hands down to the other boy's ass, planting one there and the other just above it on the tailbone so that he could heft his lover up into his arms and pick him up, taking a subtle sigh of relief when strong thighs wound around his waist to clench around him, distributing the majority of the weight on his stronger hips rather than in his arms, which weren't exactly weak but were by no means adequate to support another body in addition to the strain he already put upon his body from the Contracts he'd made with his Chains, both Albus and the Mad Hatter. "Which one's the bedroom?" he asked, striding through the little nook to determine fairly easily that it was a one-floor boarding house that was all the rage in the city at the moment.

"First one on your left," the redhead murmured, occupying himself with removing the older's cravat and unbuttoning the shirt just enough to be able to nibble on a succulent piece of collarbone. "It may not be the neatest room, but it's mine and it has a bed."

"I should hope so," the silveret chuckled, "though I must admit, it would be _kinky _if it wasn't." Amusement flared through him at the pause in the attention being administered to the crook of his chest. "Hmm, perhaps another time." He had to stretch to nudge the door high enough up to simply push it open rather than break it down, but he could tell it was appreciated by the gentle hum against his flesh as he carried the younger over the threshold.

The room indeed wasn't as neat as the average one in the Reinsworth mansion. In fact, Break supposed it was similar to his own with the books and papers cluttering the three shoulder-height bookcases and pretty much every other flat surface in the place except for the bed (though Break would have to admit that his own quarters spared quite a bit of space for his tins of sweets, and the books and papers would have been some of the latest information Pandora had about the Abyss). Still, he didn't bother for more than a cursory inspection of the room, instead choosing to drop the squirming warmth in his arms onto the bed and then dipping down to kiss the life out of him.

A hand fisted in his collar, yanking him down onto the bed so he was straddling the copper-haired boy who was smirking into the kiss as the hand dipped lower to begin undoing more buttons of that lavender shirt. Break wouldn't stand for that, so he swiftly pinned both of the younger's hands down to the bed, stretching them above the crimson waterfall. "The shirt stays," he instructed firmly, then gave a mischievous smile. "Anything else is all yours though~."

"That sounds fair," the redhead agreed, leaning up to steal a quick kiss as his hands were released, and indeed he held true to his word, skipping over the shirt to instead undo the white coat and providing no resistance to the fingers that fumbled at his black laces before the white corselet was discarded. The next to go were the black boots with the white laces and the white ones with the black straps and the purple hems, a moment devoted to throwing off the black shirt and then beginning to suckle at a single perked nipple. The younger boy let out a sharp cry at the wet heat surrounding a sensitive part of his anatomy, squirming in pleasure as he plucked almost pleadingly at Break's waistband, having trouble with the simple button to the fancy black pants. Deciding to humor the request (and because he had been more than ready to lose the constriction around his erection at the removal of that corselet to the sight of the black panties with the white lace trim), he reached a hand down to undo the button holding the other back, well aware of the hardened heat his wrist brushed against with the action.

Break had to pause for a moment to bring his hand back up to his mouth, yanking off his glove with his teeth before waggling the digits in front of the other male's face. "Suck," he commanded softly, a playful smirk on his face.

Mismatched eyes lit up at the word, the only warning the silveret received before a moist heat latched onto his heat, laving the phalanges with busy little licks even as a gentle suction had him forcing back a moan at the thought of that talented mouth on somewhere _other _than his fingers. To help himself stave off the urge, he dipped down to begin paying attention to the other nipple, determined to redden it like its companion. Upon deeming his fingers were wet enough for his tastes, he pulled them out and moved them to the other boy's entrance, pushing one inside without warning as his other hand fell to stroking the erection that stood underneath the soft cotton panties.

He received a long, low keen for his efforts, a sound equal parts pain and pleasure as hips rolled back into his hand and down into his hand. Taking the reaction as encouragement, he only thrusted a few times to get the other used to the sensation before he added a second finger, this time scissoring the digits apart as he moved, flicking his fingers in a few different ways to try to find the spot he knew would make the redhead even more of a needy mess. Of course, he managed to lose what was left of his patience before he'd located it, so he decided to bring his last finger in to help with the search, the new addition luckily managing to land right on the far edge of the prostate with the first insertion.

"Oh~!" the younger cried, his head tipping back at the feeling, mismatched eyes hidden by paper-white eyelids with their copper streaks of lashes. A playful smirk took over Break's face as he began playing with the weak point he'd found, pleased that he'd found such a sensitive partner if the pleading bucking of those curved hips was anything to go by. "Nya, just hurry up already!" the boy cried, his hands clawing at the silveret's back.

"If you insist~," the elder replied with a chuckle, flicking his hand free and pulling off his underwear before he settled himself more decisively between the spread legs that had hooked themselves around his hips. When he slid himself in completely with one thrust, he only received a brief whimper for his troubles before the other boy began wiggling his hips against him impatiently. "You're very selfish, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically, deciding to humor the younger by beginning to thrust straight where he was fairly certain the prostate was. He had been correct if the renewed scratching of his shoulders and back was anything to go by.

With how tight his partner's velveteen walls were around him, Break knew he wouldn't last long, especially with all the delicious cries coming from kiss-swollen lips. He went down, huffing his breath over the redhead's parted lips in a quiet warning, not quite expecting to be pushed away. "Honestly, do I have to do everything myself?" the boy huffed, rolling himself up onto all fours and then glaring daggers at his stunned lover as he waggled his ass pointedly. "Well are you going to continue soundly fucking me or am I going to have to finish this myself?"

"No, no, that would be terribly rude," Break murmured softly, shifting around so that he was on his knees instead of on his ass. He then draped himself over his lover, his arms on either side of his partner's as he inserted himself back into that wonderful heat. The redhead mewled, head arching up as his shoulders rolled inwards. This position was so much better, allowing him to piston in so much deeper and eliciting so many more yelps and whines from the writhing mess beneath the silver-haired male. It was only an afterthought that he dropped his hand to the younger's erection, but he was glad he'd thought to do it when the copper-haired boy let out a low keen and arched his back needily.

It didn't take all too long for the smaller boy to cum, letting out a weak yowl before his arms, which had been shaking from the force Break was putting into his thrusts, gave out, sending his torso toppling to the bed with his ass still propped lewdly in the air by his knees. The sudden tightening of his sheath proved too much, and the Pandora agent joined his partner in nirvana, his own back arching as his single eye rolled back in his head before he fell on top of his temporary lover, his chest heaving with the aftermath of how much effort he'd put into the sex.

A single unsteady arm came up to push him off, though that was immediately bellied by a cold nose searching for warmth in the silveret's collarbone. Break stiffened in confusion, his brow furrowing as he looked down, but the mismatched orbs were already hidden and showed no intention of revealing themselves. Out of all the times he'd had sex, never before had anyone wanted to curl up beside him; it was always the sex and then he'd been kicked out to recover in his own quarters. Still, it was obvious that this time was different: the boy was already asleep, breath huffing smoothly over his skin, and with the arms wrapped securely around his waist, he doubted he'd be going anywhere anytime soon. _Hmm… I suppose it wouldn't be a bad thing to take a break for a little while… _he mused, letting his eye slip closed and falling asleep quickly.

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><p>The black cat nosed open his cat door, padding into his home daintily. His nose wrinkled at the reek of sex, but underneath that, whose scent was <em>that<em>? Whiskers bristling with indignation, he trotted through the hallway to the door that had been left open a crack, finding it an easy task to maneuver his slender body around the wood, and had to restrain a hiss at the sight of his human curled up with another male, asleep on the bed. His eyes narrowed, and he jumped up onto the mattress, stalking over to the man with the silver hair, fully intending to club him on the head with a single paw. He raised his foreleg to do so before he paused, letting his paw dangle in the air while he thought. It would not do for his human to find out he was rude to a guest, unwelcome or otherwise, and swatting someone awake by all means qualified as rude. Instead, he shifted to the side, dangling his tail over the intruder's nose and insistently twitching it until he heard a groan from the unresponsive lump beside his precious human. Satisfied with the results, he let out a mew and jumped back down, deciding to reward himself by raiding the cupboard for a couple of the treats he knew were kept up there supposedly out of his reach.

Break groaned, rubbing at his eye as he shifted, trying to wake up. His back was a little sore, but that was a forgivable ill since he was warmer than he had been in months, he really would have to remember to thank Sharon for whatever it is she did to help him. Wait a minute, he wasn't at the Reinsworth mansion, he was at some boy's apartment, so that would mean- He twisted, turning his sole red eye onto the boy in his arms with the copper hair that fell to the bottom of his rib cage, his arms a deal looser than they were an hour earlier. Scowling at himself—he could not afford to go soft _now _dammit!—Break squirmed his way out of the embrace he was in. It took him a moment to put himself back together, most of which was spent fishing his pants off the ceiling fan, but after he was dressed, he only spared a glance over his shoulder at his lover before he left the room.

There, in the hallway between him and the door, sat a black cat that, if the silveret hadn't known better, he would've said was _glaring _at him with hatred in its eyes. "Stupid furball," he muttered under his breath, sauntering towards the exit as if the animal wasn't there. Not his wisest move, for the creature hissed and gave him a good scratch along the leg and shooting off into the boy's bedroom before retaliation could be made. Break let out a low growl—this was why he _hated _cats, they did _nothing _to endear themselves to him—but departed none the less. He needed some candy, and if he was lucky, Sharon would be worried because he'd been gone so long and never make him do this ever again.

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><p>"A new partner?" Break echoed incredulously, a single eyebrow raised. "I thought I had made it clear that I work alone, Duke Barma."<p>

"That you had," the man agreed, "and we have let that go since there was never really anyone we believed could properly handle both your Chain and you yourself." The man paused here, a look of mild disdain written across his face. "However, with the Baskervilles becoming more active as of late, we have no choice. For the moment, we must place our attempts at gaining the last Gate on hold and instead focus on the problem that is the Baskervilles themselves. They are growing bolder, and we cannot have that."

"What do you want me to do about that?" the silveret scoffed. "I am hardly powerful enough to take out an entire organization on my own, and you know that as well as I do, Duke Barma."

"Tell me, Kevin," the noble stated, earning himself a scowl for the unwanted reminder of the past, "have you ever heard of a Cardcaptor?"

"Bits and pieces of folklore," Break replied. "I've heard that they have possession of knowledge from past incarnations, that they can summon forth great powers from inanimate objects, and that the source of their powers seems to be steeped in fortune-telling arts." If it had been anyone else, he would have added a playful comment here, but Duke Barma was one that he would never act so childishly for since it did nothing to benefit him.

"Hmmm, I'm impressed, that's above-average knowledge for someone outside of the inner circle of the Dukes." Barma tossed his hair over his shoulder. "The point is, however, that their powers are deeply seated in the Abyss. Exactly how much so is something we aren't certain of yet, but the point remains that they are definitely powerful allies to have."

"I doubt that you have managed to find one, Duke Barma," Break said, pouting. "After all, the folklore also said the last family disappeared close to five hundred years ago."

"The last _family_," Barma corrected. "There are rumors of individuals still existing, and our intelligence is confident that the Baskervilles are _quite _interested in their powers." The corners of his lips turned up then in the slightest hint of a self-satisfied smirk. "This is where you come in. We have managed to find someone who could easily pass himself off as a Cardcaptor."

"I'm not babysitting someone just to suit your own devices, Duke Barma," Break stated, crossing his arms petulantly.

"And you won't need to," the aristocrat replied. "Colt is a Contractor whose Chain is both a good fighter and an ideal companion to your own. We considered perhaps pairing him with Vincent Nightray and the Dormouse should you refuse him, but considering that this is perhaps the first powerful Chain with teleportation powers that we've managed to find a Contractor for who was also willing to join Pandora, we were hoping that you would be able to use your Hatter with him. It would even help further the illusion of having a Cardcaptor by placing such a dangerous man so close to another so suddenly."

Break scowled. The reasoning was sound enough, and as much as he hated the prospect of being tied to someone else, he _refused _to allow this Colt to be led to slaughter by being partnered to the sewer rat. "Fine, I'll do it, but I will choose when and where we take missions."

"We can abide by that," Duke Barma answered, stopping before one of the private meeting rooms. "Colt is in here with his Chain. We told him to expect you."

The single red eye narrowed in dislike. "Never assume I will do anything you want me to do, Duke Barma," the silveret growled, subconsciously tugging on his Chain until he recognized the familiar drain on his energy and put a stop to it. Sighing heavily, he threw open the doors with a cheerful smile plastered on his face. "Hello Colt-kun~!"

In a movement that was too quick for him to follow, Break suddenly found himself pinned to the wall by one massive black paw around his throat. "I'll kill you for what you did to my master!" a familiar voice yowled in fury.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you, 'fraidy cat?" the silveret hissed in reply, bringing up his walking stick and slamming it into the Chain's belly. "And that's no way to greet someone, Cheshire. How rude."

The neko boy glared up at him from where he was hunched over, clutching his stomach. "Like you're one to talk, Hatter!" he hissed, bristling.

"Cheshire," a third voice called, a familiar one, "calm down. I know that Xerxes Break was the one who took your bell from you and caused the destruction of your territory, but that's no excuse to attack him."

_It can't be_.

"But Colt!" the cat Chain whined, ears drooping.

_I refuse to believe it._

"No buts," the Contractor replied, not taking his gaze off the game of solitaire he was playing on the long table. "I will not have you killing my new partner and that's that."

_The world may be a small place, but I refuse to believe it's this small._

"Yes Colt," Cheshire replied in a tone that clearly stated he was sulking as he padded over to the boy in the leather chair that was taller than he was, sitting on the floor beside in and purring slightly when a single hand came down to rub his ears.

_Fate has always had a cruel sense of irony when it comes to me, but it can't be so to this degree, it simply can't be._

Mismatched eyes, one sea green and the other sky blue, lifted to meet a single red counterpart as a playful smile took over rose-colored lips. "Hello again, Xerxes Break."

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><p>Die: All right, this is my first Pandora Hearts fic, so don't kill me for anyone being OOC.<p>

Break: *climbs out of the cabinet* Black Die does not own Pandora Hearts, so don't sue her. She'll likely unleash her Chain on you if you do~!

Die: Please remember to review, and I will be putting up a poll on my profile involving this story, so remember to vote on it if you want to see more of this. I'M NOT CONTINUING UNTIL I GET ENOUGH VOTES FOR A DEFINITIVE ANSWER FOR IT!

Break: And last, but certainly not least, I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with shooting happy couples with arrows!


	2. Chapter 2: Discovery

Miscalculation- (noun) the act of calculating or judging incorrectly; something that is unforeseen when previous machinations have been put into play after careful consideration.

Discovery (noun)- the act of noticing or realizing; something that had been previously unknown but only just introduced.

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><p>Chapter Two: Discovery<p>

Break yawned boredly, his single crimson eye flickering intelligently over the surroundings as he ran his tongue over and around his lollipop. Gilbert was leaning against a pillar, a cigarette unlit in his mouth since Oz had persuaded him to try to quit. The blond himself was sitting down near the ravenet's feet, albeit on the step rather than directly leaning on the pillar or his boyfriend's legs, and Alice was beside him happily chewing on her meat, thus making her ignorant of the way Oz's hand snuck up to tangle his fingers with those of his servant. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even be here, but for some reason, some higher-up had _insisted_ he join Oz and Gilbert on their mission to clear out a little village, Pinkerton, of Illegal Contractors. Politics were so _troublesome_, that was why he'd made sure to stay as far away from them as he could after he'd come back from the Abyss.

"Oh look, the carriage is here!" Oz cried, getting to his feet. "Come on, let's go!"

Break couldn't help chuckling because of the look on Gilbert's face as he was dragged to the door of the carriage, even if he didn't put up more than a token resistance and some grumbling under his breath about it. "Hey, don't forget about me!"

"And me too!" Emily piped up from his shoulder.

"How could we?" Gilbert grumbled, tugging his charges out of the way since it was enough of a pain for him to handle seating arrangement with just the three of them, never mind with the silver-haired Hatter added to the mix. "You practically invited yourself along on this mission that we would have been _fine _to handle alone…" He opened the door and stiffened at the sight, his hand already falling to his gun. "Of all the dirty tricks," he spat, cocking his revolver into the carriage.

Break managed to glimpse the slightest flash of copper red through the hinge of the carriage door and acted quickly, knocking Raven's hand aside so that the shot flew far over the top of the carriage, the sound of the gunpowder igniting inside of the chamber managing to spook the horses into a nervous whicker and dance beneath their traces despite being held firmly in place by the coachman. "My apologies, Raven," he said with a smile, slowly bringing his arm back down. "I must have forgotten to mention that there will be another companion joining us on this fine journey. My mistake~."

It was clear from the look on Gilbert's face that he was fighting the urge to strange Break with his bare hands…. Mission accomplished!

"Please excuse my partner," a soft voice called from inside the carriage, the quiet sounds of contented purring and the light scratching of nails pulling at fabric forming the background to the words. "He doesn't really know how to mind his manners all too much and I've yet to teach him otherwise."

"What's the point of manners?" Break scoffed, pouting as he unearthed a candy from his pocket, unwrapping it with the single-minded focus typical of him. "In my experience, they serve little purpose, and besides, it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission~!"

"Not that you do either, eh Break?" Oz shot back, grinning cheekily.

"Brat," Break muttered, "you shouldn't talk back to your elders."

"I don't know," the boy stated from inside the carriage, "he acts older than you do, Break."

"Ne~, I doubt that~." For some reason, this all seemed like some type of foreplay, and to his surprise, it managed to get him half-hard, a good part of him wanting nothing more than to call the mission off, get in the carriage, and fuck the pointed words right out of that slender, decadent body. Still, something told him that that was _exactly _what the younger boy wanted, and he wouldn't stand for playing right into someone's hands without getting something out of it—sex didn't count as an adequate reward in his mind no matter how good it was. "So, shall we be off then?"

"I suppose that would be prudent, eh Raven?"

Gilbert's brow furrowed momentarily before it cleared once more. "Ah, so that's Colt in there? I'm sorry I didn't realize it from the onset, it's just been so long…"

"No need to apologize, Raven," the redhead replied coolly. "I'll admit, it has been quite a while since you saw me last." A soft clack, like that of a gun being holstered, met their ears before it was followed by the soft scratching of a knife on wood. "I'll imagine I've changed quite a bit since our last meeting in the Abyss."

Alice shouldered past the ravenet man, clambering into the carriage for her usual window seat and dragging Oz along with her to plonk him down beside her possessively. Gilbert slid in beside his master, managing to fit himself across from the redhead who was steadily carving a design into the bottom of a ebony chess piece, the movements of the penknife sure even as a small pile of similar pieces, both black and white, littered the cushion beside him where the space wasn't already occupied by the napping figure of a lithe black cat. "Aren't you going to move, flame head?" Alice asked rudely, crossing her arms and bouncing the leg that rested on top of the other one.

Colt didn't look up from his work until he had finished with the exact nature of the details of his work. "Very well then," he stated, getting to his feet as he plucked another piece, this one white, from a black pouch on his hip. His knife already working, he maneuvered around Oz's legs and Alice's dangling foot to delicately place himself in the window seat, still working on his piece.

Break climbed in then, reaching over to begin playing with a handful of the pieces. "Cool arts and crafts project, ne~?" he asked, waggling what he thought was a pawn in the direction of its maker.

"Please stop waving that bishop in my face," the redhead commanded without lifting his gaze.

"Who says I'm waving a bishop in your face?" Break protested childishly, pouting. "You didn't even look!"

"I don't need to," Colt replied, nodding at his finished product and adding it to the growing pile before removing another to work on, this one a black piece from a white pouch on the opposite side of his hip. "I just know that you are."

* * *

><p>"Oh Gilbert, you naughty thing!" the blond boy scolded, waggling his finger, "you should know better than to do that to Miss Alice!"<p>

"Playing with your cards again, Lance?"

"Vincent-sama!" the boy squealed, forgetting his quarrel as he dove into the Nightray's arms. "I'm so glad you came, I was ever so lonely without you here!"

The elder blond smirked, reaching down to absently pet at the wild mane of pale gold beneath him. "I'm sorry, Lance, you know I would have come sooner, but I was held up back at Pandora."

"They should know better," the younger pouted cutely. "After all, you always come to see me, so they should know better than to give you work when you're about to leave for a visit!"

"Hn, I suppose they should," Vincent admitted, turning his mismatched eyes to gaze about the plain room with the red walls, the dark blue bed tucked into the corner, the checkered red and blue tiles that made up the floor, the few chairs and tables that took up the center of the living space. "So, have you been behaving for Miss Lotti today?"

Lance nodded. "Miss Lotti's always ever so nice, but she doesn't take me anywhere like Miss Miranda does! That's okay though, Miss Miranda takes me to scary places. I'd rather have you come and take me to pretty places, like the garden! Can we go to the garden?"

The Nightray frowned. "I'm sorry, Lance, I don't have time to take you down to the garden. I have business to attend to today, but I wanted to stop in so that you wouldn't feel so lonely."

"I'm not lonely!" the young blond protested. "I have Miss Lotti and Gilbert and Alice and Miss Miranda and you!"

"Ah yes," the elder replied absently, "I forgot."

"I'm still glad you came to visit though," Lance stated, a hint of pink on his cheeks. "Will you come back again soon?"

"As soon as I can manage," Vincent promised, leaning down to brush a soft kiss to the other male's brow.

Lance giggled at the tickling feeling, running back over to the table to continue playing with the little toy soldiers scattered across its surface, their likeness uncannily similar to that of a real person's in a way that no miniscule detail had been overlooked. "Bye bye Vincent!" he called, waving. The other blond waved back, exiting the room and closing the door behind him with a soft click.

"Echo does not think it right what is being done to young Lance."

The Nightray turned to his side to see the silver-haired maid standing attentively at his elbow, her expression carefully schooled into a neutral blank even if there was the slightest sparkling of feeling in her blue eyes. "I know well enough what you, and most others for that matter, think of Lance." Echo was quiet, patiently waiting for the continuation of her master's thought. "They see him as weak, flighty, useless… nothing more than a passing whim."

"Echo could see that side of it," she stated, giving a small nod to herself. "But Echo has seen his powers, so he is clearly more than a mere whim."

"You're referring to his cards." The words may have been phrased more as a question, but the tone of his voice made it clear that they were a statement. "Yes, Lance has powers that are quite unknown to the rest of us humans, even those who are Contractors. It is because of his unique parentage, his bloodline if you would."

"Yes, Echo understands that part of what he does, but what Echo disagrees with is the seclusion in the room without windows, the sole one like it in the entire mansion."

"Ah." Vincent paused in his walking, suddenly understanding her concerns. "You think it cruel of me, of _everyone_, to keep him locked up in that place like no more than a wild animal whose claws would slice us to ribbons otherwise, right?" He chuckled. "While I will admit it, Lance's powers could destroy us all with little effort on his part, there is a twofold reason he is kept locked away."

"Two?" Echo asked, blinking in surprise. "Echo thought there was only one."

"One?" the Nightray questioned, then nodded to himself in a sudden epiphany. "Ah, you're referring to the rumor that he is insane. Well, the rumor is half-right. Because of the instability of his bloodline, his powers have a tendency to cause the wielder to go mad, unable to distinguish reality from the myth they can create. It was my idea that we isolate him to prevent that, give him one room where nothing ever changes aside from what he does himself. He might be a little mercurial at times as a result, yes, not to mention childish and naïve, but he can at least identify what is the real world."

"And the other reason?"

"Lance himself is unstable," Vincent continued, reaching a hand out to trail along the wall as they strode down the hallway. "He acts childishly because he has never had any reason to act otherwise, but he can turn and be as cruel as the worst kind of person when he is riled. With his powers, that turn can spell death for whomever his ire is directed at, even if it is only for a moment. That's why he is removed from others, to create in him an instinctual need to want to be close to the ones who show him attention of any kind in the hope that that closeness will prevent him from turning on those we do not wish for him to."

"Echo still does not think it right," the girl murmured under her breath after a long moment of silence save for the sound of the blond's footsteps, her own silent against the wood due to her practice of moving silently.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Echo!" the Nightray roared, wheeling on his heel to slap her across the face. The sound of flesh on flesh echoed loudly in the corridor, the blond's chest heaving while the silverette's head was still upturned from the assault in expectation of more. "Never speak of this again," he commanded harshly, mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously before he turned around again and continued walking down the steps to the waiting carriage.

"Yes Vincent-sama," she replied obediently, ducking her head and following after him as docilely as always.

* * *

><p>Every movement Colt made now was carefully measured, a sauntering thing where Break realized he was carefully observing everything there was to sense about his surroundings, the cat sleeping in his arms. Sometimes he and Gilbert would exchange words about meaningless things like the inn they were staying at and what place looked like the best to get food from for tonight. Finally growing tired of this pointless wandering of the town, Break decided to interject. "Ne, I doubt we're going to find the Illegal Contractor just walking around aimlessly like this, Raven, Colt."<p>

A vein throbbed in the ravenet's forehead. "So what are you suggest we do instead, Break, disrupt society for your own twisted amusement?"

"Yes!"

Mismatched eyes, one elegant emerald and the other strong sapphire, scoured dangerously into the flighty silveret. "This is _not _aimless wandering," the redhead corrected sharply, eyes narrowed. "I am setting up the board."

"Face it, you're lost," Emily stated from Break's shoulder, the first time she had spoken in Colt's presence. Surprisingly, Colt only seemed mildly surprised by the sentient doll, the emotion contained to his eyes and then quickly concealed behind blank apathy. "You're just as useless as Break is!"

In that instant, the white-haired man yanked the pile of fabric off his shoulder and began strangling it energetically. "I am not useless," he hissed, single eye gleaming dangerously, "got it, Em-i-ly?" He had dragged her name out on purpose, dangling the syllables and mangling the word to emphasize his point about being upset with her.

"Y-yes," she stuttered out, not without some effort from the vice crushing her windpipe.

Colt sighed heavily. He didn't really want to play peacekeeper for a group where most of the members were older than he was, but apparently he had little choice in the matter. "Raven, why don't you take Oz and B-Rabbit back to the inn for the night?" he suggested quietly, "I can manage to finish up on my own."

"Are you sure, Colt?" the adopted Nightray asked, looking concernedly over his shoulder at the young redhead. "I mean, this is a lot of city to cover on your own…"

"I'll be fine," Colt assured him, his arms constricting slightly around the black cat in his arms. "I've handled much larger places before. This is child's play to me."

* * *

><p><em>The little boy giggled, running about the garden, blossoms from the cherry trees dancing in the wind and twirling around him. "Come on, Lance, come on!" he called, his twin emerald eyes sparkling with mischief, "come out come out wherever you are!" His hair was the brightest copper interspersed with long streaks of brilliant pale gold, a sign of what he was to anyone who was aware of its significance, and it hung long enough to brush over his shoulders already.<em>

_A man appeared in the entryway of one of the archways, his attire handsomely elegant and speaking of his importance. "There you are," he stated, his tone neutral aside for the slightest hint of burning relief, which went unnoticed by the child. "Come along now, you know you're not supposed to be out in the gardens when the others are here."_

_The boy pouted. "But Lewiiiiiiiis!" he whined, stretching the man's name out, "Lance and I are playing hide and seek, and I couldn't 'seek' him inside!"_

_The man, Lewis, heaved a sigh. Lance was important, true, but in no way like this little one was. The servants did not know of either's existence, and it was kept that way for their own safety. If their power ended up in the wrong hands, there was no telling what would happen. They had only rarely left the West Wing, which was off-limits to all save those who knew. "I'll bet he's still inside," he reasoned. "Come on, I'll help you look."_

_The dual-haired boy pouted, shaking his head determinedly. "I don't need help! I can find Lance on my own!" he declared, jade eyes twinkling. "And besides, King's Pawn says he's not where I looked!"_

_Lewis sighed again. These children really would be the death of him one day. If it weren't for the fact that the Sinclairs needed him, he would have left a long time ago. "Very well," he stated, reaching deep within himself and tugging to bring forth a brightly-colored bird with a large beak and long, powerful legs. "Lory, if you would?"_

_The bird squawked, shedding a few feathers, and darted off into the garden, its brilliant plumage forming a floating trail behind it before the feathers disintegrated into rainbow colors upon hitting the ground. "There, Lory's going out to look for him," he said, holding out his hand to the little boy, "now come away before you're noticed, it wouldn't do for you to be found again. You can't always rely on Epsilon to erase everyone's memories for you."_

_The little boy darted forward, taking his keeper's hand and clasping it close. "But you'll always be here for me, right Lewis?" he asked trustingly, emerald eyes sparkling._

_The man's gaze softened, and he ruffled his charge's hair affectionately. "Of course I will, Alexius," he promised. "Lory and I both won't leave your side if we can't help it."_

* * *

><p>The black cat paused in his walk, stretching his neck forward slightly to sniff at the white chess piece sitting elegantly on the dirty, cracked cobblestone street. "Chess, leave it," a firm voice called from the far side of the alleyway, and the feline obediently trotted to the heels of the black boots with the white laces.<p>

Slender, pale fingers plucked out another piece, this one black. "Place," the male whispered, kissing the top of the ivory before he let it slip from his fingers, the wood falling to the street and bouncing once or twice before settling as surely as if it had been deliberately set down there. He lifted his foot to take a step before he paused, letting it stand in the air above the ground. "Let stand," he commanded softly, and in that instant, the pieces both disappeared from sight.

Raising his voice, he called, "I know you're there, Break, you may as well come out."

The silveret pouted, walking out from behind the corner at the far end of the street. "How'd you know?" he asked, looking thoroughly put out.

"I have my ways," the redhead replied cryptically, crossing his arms.

"You're being mean, Colt!" Break accused childishly, flinging out one hand to point at the younger male. "Tell me~!"

"No," Colt denied firmly, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a slight smirk at the continuation of the pout he was receiving. "What, can't handle a taste of your own medicine, Hatter?"

"Nope!" the elder man admitted cheerfully before he threw his arms around the younger's neck, nuzzling his nose into the other boy's neck as he whined, "Tellllllll meeeeeeee~!"

Clawed hands plucked the Hatter off his victim with little trouble. "Stay off of Cheshire's Contractor, nya," the neko boy growled, ears lying low enough to hide themselves in his mess of dark hair and his crimson eye narrowed to an angry slit. "Cheshire won't let you hurt Cheshire's Contractor again, nya."

"Stupid 'fraidy cat," Break spat in reply, already tensing his muscles in preparation to react before a single hand landed on his shoulder, gaining his attention.

"Cheshire, behave," Colt scolded, his voice soft. "Break is our partner now, and I would appreciate if you did not maim him."

"As Colt wishes," the cat Chain whispered, obediently loosening his grip on the Hatter.

Break's face twisted with disdain at the claim, already preparing to launch into his usual lecture about how sickening it was for someone to be so completely consumed with another and how people were only concerned with themselves and nothing more, but a single glare from shining sapphire and glittering emerald gems had him swallowing the words back in his throat, recognizing that now was not the time to gloat.

The redhead tipped his head back, gazing up at the sky contemplatively. "Have you ever just paused for a moment to watch the night sky, Break?" he asked, a single emerald eye falling to the right to stare at the older man. "It really is quite a beautiful sight, you know, dotted with stars and ruled over by the moon. It was one of my favorite things to do as a child, to sit and watch the moon."

"Really, nya?" Cheshire asked curiously, padding over so that his chin rested on the side of his Contractor that was farther away from the Hatter. "Which one is the moon?"

Colt laughed. "Silly kitty," he chuckled, "it's the big round one up in the middle of the sky, the one that's the most like Break!"

The madman started at the mention of his name, surprised. Colt really thought he was like the moon?

"Cheshire sees it!" the Chain cried in triumph, beaming. "But where is the one that looks like Colt and the one that looks like Cheshire?"

"Hmm…" the redhead mumbled thoughtfully. "You'd be that point right there," he said, pointing out the brightest star he could find. "That's the North Star. It's the only one that never moves."

"Really, nya?" Cheshire questioned, pride the cause of his twitching tail. He obviously liked being compared to something so constant.

Colt nodded, the softest hint of a smile teasing at his lips, and in that instant, Break decided he wanted to be part of that scene too. Ignoring how close it brought him to the Cheshire Cat, he moved so that he could snuggle into the younger boy's back, his cheek leaning against the other's ear affectionately. "It's such a shame that Colt isn't out to see the fun," he noted, affectionately rubbing his face into the silky smooth hair brushing against his skin. "Then he could keep the stars and the moon in balance, even though he would eclipse them with his brilliance."

"What is he, nya?" the neko demanded, ears twitching as he stood straighter in order to stare at the other red-eyed male. "Cheshire wants to know!"

"The sun, Chess," Colt murmured softly, a light blush blooming on his cheekbones. "He's saying I'm like the sun."

"Yes," the feline declared, tail swishing behind him, "Colt is Cheshire's sun! He's warm and soft and sweet, and he belongs to Cheshire!"

Colt's smile, which had been sitting softly tugging at his lips, slowly faded from his face. "I don't belong to anyone, Cheshire," he stated, extracting himself from both of the males on his shoulders. "Not anymore." Taking out a white chess piece from his pouch, he began twirling it, tossing it into the air and catching it in his palm with a firm smack before repeating the process.

Cheshire's ears twitched once before he turned on Break with his single wine eye narrowed. Since the silveret wasn't getting the hint, he smacked his arm. "Go talk to Colt," he commanded sharply, tail lashing once behind him.

"What?" Break asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You hurt Colt," the neko extrapolated, crossing his arms, "go kiss it better."

For a brief moment, Break couldn't contain his surprise and accidentally a choking sound slip past his lips. On his shoulder, Emily cackled darkly. "Oh, he wants to do more than that, useless perverted old man that he is…"

"Hush Emily," he chided, regaining his usual composure and idly threatening the doll with a deadly-quiet, "otherwise I'll put you in the wardrobe tonight at the inn."

"Please do!" she chirped in reply, "I'd rather not watch a horny old man get it on with a cute, naïve little boy…"

In that instant, the doll was clutched in his hands again, getting the life the fabric didn't have squeezed right out of the poor thing. "What was that?" he asked, seemingly cheerfully, though all who knew the Hatter knew that when such an event happened was when he was at his angriest with Emily. "I didn't hear that over the crunch of my candy."

"No-nothing!" she squeaked out, recognizing the sign to retreat.

"That's what I thought," he stated smugly, loosing his fingers around her and letting her drop to the cobblestone street below. Ignoring her shrieks of protest, he bounded away, skipping merrily on a sheer whim up until he wrapped his arms around a walking Colt, nearly toppling them both over. Again going on the spur of the moment, he wrapped both his legs around the smaller boy's waist, his arms constricting around the other's throat.

He could hear the irritation in the redhead's voice when he curtly queried, "What do you want, Break?" in a harsh voice.

"You know, you hurt my feelings by just walking away," he enlightened the younger male, wriggling himself closer so that he could soak up the other's warmth.

"So?" Colt replied coldly. "You hurt my feelings when _you_ left _me_, Break."

"Oh come _onnnnnn_," the silveret whined, "you couldn't have expected me to stay!"

The redhead opened his mouth to reply before he snapped it shut with an audible click. "Get off me," he finally stated, irritable. "You're heavy."

Offense crept into the elder's tone. "Are you suggesting I'm fat?" he demanded, pouting cutely.

Colt didn't answer. He just reached around to wrap his arms around the other's thighs for better support. "Cheshire," he called behind him, turning his face away from Break's to search for the form of the cat boy in the shadows of the street, "are you coming?"

"Of course, nya!" the neko replied, trotting up. "Cheshire would never neglect his duties, nya!"

"He didn't say you had to, 'fraidy cat," the Hatter stated, not particularly wanting to give up his free ride to the inn if he could avoid it.

"Yes, but Cheshire will never hurt Cheshire's protector, nya," the cat shot back, ears twitching.

Break scowled at the subtle jab to his past. "Oh shut up," he muttered. "You're not one to talk, 'fraidy cat."

Cheshire looked to be bristling up, but a single glance at his Contractor calmed the black fur. Instead, he merely flicked his tail in dismissal at the Hatter and padded forward, one paw wrapped around his bell to muffle it. "It's late," Colt stated, his tone surprisingly smooth considering that he was carrying a larger male on his back. "The others will be expecting us back soon."

"True," Cheshire replied. "What are the rooming arrangements, nya?"

The redhead looked resigned. "Well, I could hardly justify getting a room with three beds since you came as a cat, Chess," he sighed. "Instead, I got Alice, Oz, and Gilbert a room with a double bed for them and a single for her, and we will all be sharing a double since they were out of rooms with two singles." Catching their sour expressions, he added, "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine to sleep on the floor with a handful of blankets and a pillow."

"No," the neko stated, crossing his arms resolutely. "Colt will not be sleeping on the floor, nya. Cheshire will not allow it."

"So you're volunteering then, 'fraidy cat?" Break teased, smirking.

"No!" the prideful cat boy shot back, tail bolt upright.

Colt sighed heavily, deciding it best to cut the two off before the argument could delve any deeper. "Look," he said, his voice heavy, "since neither of you are willing to relegate yourselves to the floor and you refuse to let me be there, why don't we all just share the bed? I'm sure we'll all fit, and to prevent a murder, I'll be between you. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes," the ravenet Chain sulked, ears to either side.

"Break?"

The silveret chuckled. "If the 'fraidy cat can handle it, then so can I~"

* * *

><p>Die: I am ashamed of all of you. I leave this thing up for a month, A MONTH, and not ONE of you vote on the poll. Is my writing really that bad or are you just being lazy?<p>

Vincent: If it's the latter, may I go hunt them down and play with them?

Die: Knock yourself out, you innocent little creeper you.

Vincent: *smiles* Remember, Black Die does not own Pandora Hearts, so do not sue her. And if you do not review, I will have Echo enter your house and make off with your computer so that you may no longer be able to read this work of fanfiction!

Die: *pats Vincent* Good boy. You may now have Gil as I promised.

Vincent: *runs off-screen*

*sounds of yelping and squealing can be heard from off-screen*

Die: NOW REMEMBER TO VOTE AND REVIEW, I MEAN IT THIS TIME!

* * *

><p>Edit: ... Upon realizing that the Bandersnatch ACTUALLY is a Chain, I decided to instead make Lewis' Chain the Lory from Alice in Wonderland.<p> 


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